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Kemi Badenoch instructed lawyers to challenge Labour-imposed funding cuts that have led Wandsworth Council, a Tory-run council in London, to propose a 94 percent increase in council tax. The proposed hike comes after what the Tories claim are significant budget reductions from Labour—40 percent cuts since May—and is expected to raise Band D rates from £1,020 annually to nearly £2,000. Badenoch accused Labour of taking money from non-Labour voting areas and suggested that Wandsworth’s low council tax was seen by Labour as a problem rather than a positive feature.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, has instructed lawyers to challenge cuts imposed by Labour that led Tory-run Wandsworth Council to raise council tax by 94% in London. Badenoch described the increase as "outrageous" and claimed it was due to a 40% reduction in funding from Labour. She argued that this funding realignment unfairly transfers money from non-Labour voting areas to Labour-supporting ones, impacting local budgets. Wandsworth Council has been granted special powers allowing them to exceed the usual 5% council tax cap for two years due to historical low rates and current financial pressures.
Written for “Tory Council Tax Hike Challenge” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.65, but none of the 3 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 17375: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-18
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Kemi Badenoch last night instructed lawyers to challenge Government cuts which Tory-run Wandsworth Council says has forced it to increase council tax by 94 per cent.
asserted
Council → see → cent
The Tory leader said it was 'outrageous' that the amount was increasing so much but said it was due to 40 per cent cuts to their funding by Labour.
She said the Conservative Party would challenge the decision in court because of the principle behind it.
asserted
Party → say → it
Ms Badenoch told BBC Newsnight: 'We have actually instructed lawyers, as the Conservative Party, to see if we can challenge the government on this decision.
asserted
we → tell → decision
Because what it looks like Labour is doing is taking money from areas that don't vote Labour and giving it to places that do vote Labour.
asserted
that → look → Labour
And I think that's completely wrong.
asserted
that → think → ?
I think it is outrageous.
asserted
it → think → ?
So we're talking to lawyers.
asserted
we → talk → lawyers
Andy Burnham has not found 40 per cent of anything to cut, but he's asking Wandsworth to do that.
asserted
he → find → that
I don't think that's fair.
asserted
that → think → ?
I don't think that's right.'
asserted
that → think → ?
She said the nearly 100 per cent increase would hit family budgets and it wasn't fair to punish homeowners for not voting Labour.
asserted
it → say → Labour
The Tory leader has previously accused Labour of starving the council of future funding.
asserted
leader → accuse → funding
Kemi Badenoch said it was 'outrageous' that the council tax in Wandsworth was increasing so much but said it was due to 40 per cent cuts to their funding by Labour
Tory-run Wandsworth Council announced a 94 per cent rise in its council tax earlier this week
asserted
Council → say → tax
Badenoch said the Government had left Wandsworth Council, which it lost to the Tories in May after running it for just one term, with a 'historic' £137 million gap in its finances.
uncertain
it → say → finances
She blamed Housing Secretary Angela Rayner's controversial reforms that give more money to Labour-voting areas in the north.
asserted
that → blame → north
This summer, a spending review published by the incoming Tory administration on the town hall said it had inherited from Labour 'the largest government cuts, the largest projected overspending and the largest predicted budget gap in Wandsworth's history'.
asserted
it → publish → history
The report claimed that the previous Labour administration had used reserves to balance the budget, had increased staff by 14 per cent since taking over in 2022 and had spent and borrowed millions more without increasing revenue.
asserted
administration → claim → revenue
It warned that Wandsworth's council tax 'would have to increase by more than 230 per cent' to balance the books if urgent action was not taken.
asserted
action → warn → books
The report said that Margaret Thatcher's favourite borough had previously been 'synonymous with low council tax' but that Labour ministers saw that 'as a problem, not a positive'.
asserted
ministers → say → problem
Residents in the borough currently pay £1,020 a year for Band D council tax - split equally between the council and the Mayor of London.
asserted
Residents → pay → London
Under the plans, the council's £510 share would surge by £958 while the Mayor's portion stays unchanged.
asserted
portion → surge → 958
This means the total bill will almost double to £1,978.
asserted
bill → mean → 1,978
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